Evolve's Maestro Win7 Slate: Hands On

There has been no shortage of Windows 7 slate tablets at Computex 2011. While you may never see the Evolve Maestro Convertible on U.S soil, this Windows 7 tablet took what I thought was a clever approach to tablet design.

There has been no shortage of Windows 7 slate tablets at Computex 2011. While you may never see the Evolve Maestro Convertible on U.S soil, this Windows 7 tablet took what I thought was a clever approach to tablet design.

The Evolve Maestro isn't cheaply made, that's for sure. Its edges are slightly rounded and every inch on top seems as if it was covered in glass. The hardware feels solid and comfortable to hold. Though it didn't seem as light as the Apple iPad 2, the Maestro isn't heavy by any stretch.

The left-side leg that props backwards and acts as a kickstand is a clever take on design. It didn't look awkward, and adds some cachet. It also stood its ground despite having a stand that's situated on one side; a sturdy hinge helps. On the kickstand itself is a media card reader, so Evolve didn't let valuable real estate go to waste. It also reveals a USB port on the tablet side when the leg is pulled back (the USB port is inaccessible in tablet mode, though).

Another USB port can be found on the other side, along with a volume toggle switch and a headphone jack. This tablet doesn't have HDMI or any kind of video-out feature, though. It includes an external keyboard that doesn't dock through some proprietary port; it attaches via a USB cable or Bluetooth. It's a solid typing experience, complemented by a decently sized touchpad and click-friendly mouse buttons.

The Evolve Maestro runs on Intel's Atom platform, specifically the dual core Atom N550 (1.5 GHz), Intel GMA 600 graphics, and 1GB of memory. It ships with a 32GB SSD drive, which was one of the reasons why Windows 7 seemed pretty zippy during my time with it. It played back an HD video beautifully, though there was some heat in the back of the tablet.

Chances are you will never see this tablet in the United States, but those who have a tablet stake in the U.S market should take a closer look at the Evolve Maestro's kick-stand approach.

Cisco Cheng is the Lead Analyst of the laptop team at PCMag.com. He’s a one-man wrecking crew who tests and writes about anything considered a laptop (yes, even netbooks). He’s been with PC Mag for over 10 years and gets occasional headaches from all the technical knowledge he has absorbed during that time. He’d still be snowboarding and playing basketball had he not been through multiple knee surgeries (well, two). Now he spends his time with Google Reader, the iPhone 3G, and his now 3-year...
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